Three Little Birds
by Roux Andrews
Summary: Only one apprentice can save the Clans.. Original fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

"Fogpaw! Fogpaw!"

A small white she-cat slid under a bramble into a small clearing, and by the side of it was a stream. An older, dark brown tom trailed behind, a look of exasperation on his face.

"Icepaw, we've looked everywhere. I'm positive she's gone… um… like, gone to hunt with… er… StarClan."

"No, Oakstripe! She's not dead! It was just a few moments ago we heard her…"

"The currents here are very fast, Icepaw. She could have been easily washed away. But, look on the bright side, she's—"

"There _is _no bright side, Oakstripe! Where ever she is, she's probably cold… and lonely.."

"Don't worry about it, Icepaw. Besides, it's your first medicine cat gathering tomorrow night! Maybe you'll see Fogpaw there."

* * *

Temporarily blinded by the cold mountain water, Fogpaw was being somewhat blown away by the blindingly fast flowing stream. There wasn't any hope for a half-trained ThunderClan apprentice like her; considering her paws were numb, and her shoulder was bleeding out, after being pierced by the jagged rocks. Fogpaw had tried to call out for

help, but it seemed she was too far away for anyone to see or hear her…

Fogpaw groaned at the feeling of fur against fur, not realizing she was being helped. Her gray fur now black, she was dragged out onto shore, still bleeding, and too shaken up to be thinking straight. After a few moments, Fogpaw regained her vision and stared up at

the tabby tom in front of her.

"Foxtail… is that you?"

* * *

What seemed to be miles away, four small, slender cats sat with a pleading look in their eyes before a dark gray tabby tom.

"Duststar! What has happened to Icepaw and Fogpaw?"

"What are we going to do, Duststar?"

"I think they went over to RiverClan camp by mistake… if we cross the border, Willowstar will kill us!"

"Where is Oakstripe?"

A few tail-lengths away, out of earshot and eyeshot, a young golden brown she-cat gazed admiringly at three small kits. Beside the kits was a proud queen—Nightstorm, to be exact.

"What are their names?" Honeypaw asked.

"They don't have names yet. And after Tigerleaf died, I don't know what to name them…do you have any ideas?"

The three kits mewled up at Honeypaw. One of them, the only she-kit in the litter, was a tortoiseshell, with a long tail that flew around everywhere, mainly whacking her brothers. The other one was black and white, and had his father's build, although Honeypaw vaguely remembered Tigerleaf. He was jet-black too, but he had died of greencough the day after Nightstorm had moved into the nursery-- at least three moons back, when Honeypaw was still a kit. The last one, who was tan, white, and dark brown, lay perfectly still, purring calmly.

"I think I'm going to name this one Leafkit," Nightstorm meowed, nudging the tortoiseshell.

"How about Ravenkit for this one?" Honeypaw asked, talking about the black and white tom.

"Ravenkit's perfect. And.. I think I'll name this one…"

"Owlkit?"

"Sure."

This was great. Honeypaw got to help name three kits, and she had a great day of training, and for sure, she had her sisters—

"Honeypaw!" an apprentice cried out to her. Rainpaw, she figured.

"Your sisters—they're gone!"


	2. Chapter 2

Honeypaw's eyes widened. "But—but how could that be? I…"

"I don't know where they are, Honeypaw. Neither does Duststar."

The she-cat let out a sob, and padded off to the warrior den, tail drooping behind her. She needed some sleep.

* * *

Hours later, Icepaw returned over the border of ThunderClan. Honeypaw poked her head out of the apprentice den, and then bounded out of it at the sight of her sister. But where was Fogpaw?

"I. I don't know where Fogpaw is, everyone. Oakstripe and I looked everywhere, but… I've got to got to the medicine cat gathering with Toadflight. I'll tell you if I…" With that, Toadflight, the medicine cat, quickly padded over to Icepaw. The tortoiseshell tom shooed everyone else away and went off in the direction of the Moonpool, and so Icepaw followed behind, her blue eyes glinting with sadness.

Eight cats, four medicine cats, and four apprentices, sat by the Moonpool. In front of Toadflight sat Icepaw, who was talking with Blackpaw, Cloudpaw, and Ravenpaw about what was going on in their Clans.

_It's amazing, _Icepaw thought. _We're all together, and we all talk to our ancestors... but how?_

Toadflight silenced the seven other cats. "I think it is time that Icepaw earns her name as a medicine cat."

Icepaw's eyes widened. It was time already?

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has decided to follow the path of a medicine cat. Icepaw, do you promise to take care of any cat in need, regardless of their clan?"

"I do."

"Then, Icepaw, I grant you your new name. From now on, you will be known as Icewing."

"Icewing! Icewing!" the cats cried, their voices pricked with pride for the young apprentice. There was Dappledleaf, the medicine cat of ShadowClan, and her apprentice, Cloudpaw, Rosethorn, the medicine cat of WindClan with her apprentice Ravenpaw and Whitestone from RiverClan, with his apprentice, Blackpaw. How much they meant to her—as friends and spiritual leaders of the Clans.

Before the newly named Icewing knew it, gathering had begun and the cats of StarClan swirled down before her—yet Fogpaw was not among them.

_Welcome, Icewing._

_Hello.. No… that's you, Sootspot! You were one of the elders, who died of black—_

_Shh, Icewing. I know you're wondering why Fogpaw isn't here.._

_She's not dead! Wait—is she…_

_Fogpaw is alive and well, Icewing. You must calm down. _

_But what about Oakstripe? He's been acting like Fogpaw is dead, and since he's the deputy he should know—_

_Listen, Icewing, you can't worry about Oakstripe. You can't worry about Fogpaw. But I must warn you; danger is ahead. _

The scene slowly faded to where Icewing and Sootspot stood on a moor, where the mist slowly faded over the water. It remained calm for a moment, but then in a heartbeat it was gone, and Icewing awoke, the same time all the other medicine cats were getting up.

_It's the calm before the storm, _a voice echoed in her head.

"What did you dream of?" Cloudpaw asked. She was the last to get up. Icepaw closed her eyes, in an attempt to hide the anguish in her eyes. What was going to happen to the Clans?


End file.
